


Puppet Strings

by jayiscoolbeanz



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst, Big Brother Amenadiel (Lucifer TV), Daddy Issues, Everyone's protective over Lucifer honestly, F/M, Feels, Hurt/Comfort, Lucifer whump, Mental Breakdown, Panic Attack, Protective Amenadiel, Protective Chloe Decker, Protective Lucifer, Reveal Fic, eventually, i just love making lucifer suffer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-17 04:42:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14825441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jayiscoolbeanz/pseuds/jayiscoolbeanz
Summary: AU set after S3 Episode 20: The Angel of St BernardinoAfter having a meltdown and arguing with Chloe in the precinct, Lucifer storms off to locate the killer himself. A slight difference in script causes him to be hit by a car while he's still within close enough proximity to Chloe to be vulnerable, and he's rushed off to the hospital. Blaming herself for Lucifer's suffering, Chloe remains by his side while he recovers. But when Lucifer awakens, it's almost like he's a completely different person. Chloe finally decides to look into all of the weirdness, wondering if Lucifer's father really does have something to do with her partner's erratic behavior lately. And maybe even the accident as well.On the other hand, Pierce definitely isn't happy when Lucifer's accident puts his own plans on standby.





	1. Chaper

The concerned faces of the LAPD swam by in an unidentifiable blur as Lucifer all but stumbled to the exit, his latest argument with the Detective still fresh on his mind as he tiredly found his way to the parking lot. Pierce- Cain-  _ he _ made her _ happy _ ? The very thought of it made him want to laugh, but at the same time the thought of Pierce manipulating her to such an extent pissed him off. How could Chloe not see the kind of person Pierce really was, with how intelligent she was? And why wouldn’t she believe Lucifer when all he wanted for her to know was the truth? Pierce would only hurt her, he didn’t care what he had to do if he thought it meant ridding himself of his mark. But Chloe just wouldn’t listen to reason! Lucifer has worked with her for a long time now, surely his word must have meant something to her? Then why would she blindly trust Pierce when Lucifer has never given her any reason to distrust him?

 

Except perhaps the time he ran off to get married in Vegas. Or when he tried to convince a sniper to off him during a case. There was also the time-

 

Lucifer shook his head and pressed forward, banishing those doubts to the untouched depths of his mind. There was no time to be guilty. And honestly was no time to destroy himself over Chloe’s terrible life decisions either. He could always find a way to thwart Pierce’s plans on a later date, there were more important matters at hand that could not be postponed any longer. He still needed to get confirmation that he was in fact the angel that’s been acting like some sort of hero while he’s been asleep. He needed to know for a fact that his father was controlling him. He was taking back his reigns, reminding Lucifer that he’s powerless to fight against him. First it was the wings, now it was forcing him to use them at night, so how long would it be until Lucifer became a complete puppet? Forced to watch himself do his father’s biddings with no control over his own actions, no free will? Maybe this was his father’s way of punishing him for not only breaking his deal between them, but for killing Uriel and then, to top it all of, allowing his mother to escape into her own reality.

 

If God was angry with him, of course he would target the thing he treasured the most, what he’s been fighting for since the very beginning: his free will. And that was truly terrifying, knowing that if his father had truly decided on taking back his control over him, there was nothing he could do to stop it. What would he possibly be able to do against the one with all of the power in the universe?

 

The reason he was searching for the killer was because of the very small shred of hope he had, that he might _ not _ be the angel behind all of these good deeds. That was the only thought that kept him from having a massive breakdown at the moment. Whenever he was close to losing himself over this, or giving up entirely, he repeated the mantra of: “It might not be me, it might not be me,” over and over in his head. It was a small comfort in comparison to the massive crisis he was facing, but if clinging it was the only thing that prevented him from falling off the deep end entirely, then he shall cling away to his heart’s content.

 

But he had to know for sure whether his fears were true or not. And to do that, he had to catch the killer and ask if he was the angel who chased him away.

The Detective was obviously done for the night, so Lucifer decided he would have to dig up some information on his own. Maybe he could question that man who played in Bones again. He had a feeling that the line of work he was in had some sort of connection to the murder.

 

With that in mind, Lucifer finally made it to his car. Instead of leaping over the door like he usually did, he saved the small amount of energy he had and pulled it open instead, almost crawling into the front seat. His hand went to his pocket for his key but he was surprisingly met with an empty void instead. Grunting, he patted himself down and even looked underneath him, but still couldn’t locate it. Well, no matter. One of his lesser known abilities was being able to unlock anything, and thankfully, that power worked on turning on cars as well. He put his palm up to the ignition and expected it to come to life as it did when he first stole the car, but it remained eerily silent. Lucifer growled in frustration and waved his hand about, muttering “Hello, engine? Still in there, I hope.” 

 

After a minute or so of nothing, he slumped back into his seat and glared up at the sky. The smog in LA usually prevented him from seeing much of the stars on a normal night, but today he could see a dozen of them scattered across the darkness, almost mocking him. Reminding him of the work he performed while he was still his father’s naive little soldier. Telling him it wouldn’t be long before those times returned. His father was passing him a message; this was his way of laughing at him and how powerless he was against him. Now, he couldn’t even turn his car on. There really were no lengths his father wouldn’t go through to make him suffer. His pettiness truly was showing, and it didn’t fail to piss Lucifer off even further. “None of this was enough for you, is that it?!” He screamed up at the sky, gritting his teeth. “Stealing my true face, slapping a pair of wings on my back, controlling me in my sleep, must you really add more to the list?”

 

There was no reply. Of course there wasn’t a bloody reply, when was he ever graced with one of those?! As the deafening silence stretched on, his patience grew thinner and thinner until he felt something snap inside of him, and he hurled himself out of the car again, slamming the door shut behind him. “Bastard,” he hissed, spinning on his heel and facing the station again. He stopped suddenly, feeling conflicted. The Detective wouldn’t help him on the case tonight, and if he told her about his dilemma with his car, the most she would do was give him a lift to Lux and order him once again to get some rest. And that was if she was feeling generous. With the way she blew up on him earlier, she would more likely tell him to catch a cab home rather than actually help him.

 

Letting out a long puff of frustrated air, the Devil turned and marched himself towards the street; who said he needed a car in order to run an investigation, hm? He wasn’t going to let his father win this one without at least showing a bit of defiance. If he couldn’t win, he could at least piss his dad off whilst being dragged down.

 

He wasn’t sure how exactly this plan of his was going to piss Dad off, but he didn’t think too much about it, following the long stretch of sidewalk back into town. His eyes burned, and he grabbed a handful of his curling hair and tugged it harshly to keep himself focused, not liking how his mind was beginning to feel like scrambled eggs. Or pudding. Pudding _ and  _ scrambled eggs, perhaps. No one would ever want to mix those together, yet there they were, making a muck of his head and making it difficult to think. 

 

He almost began to laugh, then realized his train of thought made absolutely no sense, and stopped short. Where on Earth was he planning on going anyways? He didn’t create any sort of plan; he only had a vague idea in mind when he decided to head out on his merry way. What was he going to do, wander around aimlessly through the entirety of Los Angeles until he either caught whiff of the murderer, or the Detective tracked him down and forced him to go home and sleep? He needed to think this through before he got too far ahead of himself. But how was he supposed to do that when his brain wasn’t cooperating with him?

 

“C’mon Lucifer, we both know thinking things through isn’t how you work,” someone taunted him from behind, and Lucifer drew in a sharp breath. That voice…

 

“Uriel…?” He spun around and gasped, his suspicions confirmed. His brother stood before him, eyebrows raised and cocky smirk in place, hands casually stuffed into his coat pockets. Lucifer took in shaky breaths as he slowly staggered over to him, trying to reach out to grab him, but his brother stepped backwards away from his grasp. “I- I don’t- how-” Lucifer stuttered, all of his grace leaving him as he stared at his undead brother, dumbfounded. 

 

“You’ve always been so predictable, brother.” Uriel shook his head, his smirk fading fast. His gaze moved up and down, seeming to take in all of Lucifer’s disheveled appearance, and then his eyes left him entirely, seeking out the building of the LAPD station. “And I’m not the only one who keeps track of your patterns.” When Uriel looked back at Lucifer again, his expression seemed almost...concerned. “It’s time to start using your head, brother.”

 

“I don’t understand,” Lucifer could only whisper, and Uriel flashed him a small sad smile before turning tail and booking it further down the road. “Uriel, wait!” He cried desperately, giving chase. His vision blurred and the world around him stuttered, becoming vague, shapeless objects, Uriel being the only thing remaining sharp and clear in comparison. 

 

Thankfully, Lucifer had longer legs than his brother, and was eventually able to catch up with him. “Brother, hold on just a second,” he said desperately once he was within arms length of his brother. He stretched his hand out and tried to grab his shoulder again, but the second his fingertips made contact with him, the image of Uriel vanished immediately, and Lucifer was left trying to regain his balance in the middle of the road.

 

A very busy road.

 

The realization struck him a second too late. The car that was speeding towards him was just a little faster than his uncooperative brain, and when he turned his head, he only caught the barest glimpse of headlights before it collided with him. The second the vehicle connected with his body, his brain shut down, and everything was black for a long moment, all of his senses going on standby. The first of them to return was his vision. In his position, he was facing the stars again, their twinkling causing a bubble of manic laughter to almost burst free from his throat. Oh of all the ways for Dad to mock him...

 

His hearing came next; all of the blaring horns and screaming made him cringe and a sharp pain travelled through his head. Wait no, that was already there, the noise had only made it worse. The source of the original pain chose that time to make itself abundantly clear- blood dripped onto his face from his hairline, momentarily blinding him as it dribbled into his eyes. He was confused at first; he shouldn’t be bleeding at all to begin with. But then he realized he was still in close proximity to the LAPD station, and more importantly, the Detective. 

 

At that moment, a cough shook his entire body and he nearly choked on the spray of blood that nearly got lodged in his throat, and he almost laughed yet again. It just gets better and better, doesn’t it? Was this how his father was planning on taking full control? Sending him hallucinations of Uriel, and using his vulnerability with the Detective against him, to make him completely helpless, and powerless to stop him from taking full control of him? He was absolutely broken in this moment, his mind delirious from lack of sleep and body useless because of his mortality. Was this what his father was waiting for? One more brutal whip of punishment before taking away his free will?

 

Well to hell with that.

 

Lucifer grunted and flexed his fingers and toes, trying to get his body to cooperate with him as he pathetically wriggled around on the ground, gasping and nearly wailing in pain with every movement, but desperation pushed him to continue the pointless endeavor. All he managed to do was tire himself further and he slumped against the pavement, wheezing pitifully. 

 

“Move, move, LAPD!” Someone screamed, someone who was definitely familiar, but it was most certainly not Chloe. Lucifer attempted to move his head to see who it was but the sharp pain in his head doubled at the movement, and he could only squeeze his eyes shut, laying limp once again. “Lucifer, hey, look at me.” Grunting, Lucifer opened his eyes again, and was dismayed when he found that it was Detective Espinoza who was kneeling at his side. “Don’t give me that look, just...” The man briefly looked uncertain before pushing his hands down on Lucifer’s abdomen, making him gasp in renewed pain. So that’s how it was, then? Everyone come kick Lucifer while he’s already down- oh wait. He was bleeding there, wasn’t he? How did he not notice that before?

 

He must have been in shock.

 

“God, your head too…” Daniel said, eyeing the wound with intense nervousness.

 

“Yes, he really should stay out of my head,” Lucifer mumbled in agreement, but Daniel only looked confused. Lucifer went to add more on the subject, but his stupid lungs interrupted, and he was soon hacking up another mouthful of blood right onto Daniel’s arms. Stars that he most certainly did not design appeared in front of his eyes for a moment, and when they faded out he found that Daniel was waving a hand in front of his eyes, saying something in a frantic voice. “Do you have an off switch?” Lucifer asked hoarsely, blinking rapidly.

 

He didn’t even get a smile. “You gotta stay with me, the ambulance is almost here,” the other man told him sternly, holding his gaze. “You’re so lucky I was heading home. When the crash happened I went to check out what was going on, and  _ of course  _ it was you.” Lucifer stopped listening and stared at the sky above him, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier as the conversation droned on. Daniel must have caught on, and gently patted his face to recapture his attention, earning himself a weak glare. But Daniel paid no mind to it. “Hey man, stay awake. If you die on me right now, Chloe’s going to be upset. And so’s Trixy, and Ella. That bartender of yours too, I bet.” Lucifer blinked at him heavily, and Daniel continued on, seemingly encouraged by Lucifer paying attention to him. “And your brother too, obviously. And Charlotte-  I mean hell, she’s your stepmom. And I don’t want to see her cry, alright? I don’t want to see any of them cry. So, stop being a selfish dick and keep your eyes open, okay?”

 

“Stop being so dramatic, a little death hasn’t kept me away before, now has it?” Lucifer asked with a snort. But then, he felt a sliver of doubt, which evolved into full fledged fear. “‘less dad’s got anything to say with it.” Realization hit him full force, and he gasped in a sudden panic, ignoring Daniel’s feeble attempt at soothing him with forcefully soft words. “Father’s going to get me either way. Wants me to be his soldier again. How ‘m I supposed to escape? ‘S no winning, so why am I trying?” He blinked at the stars again and felt something sinking in his stomach. “Why am I trying…?” He repeated breathlessly. 

 

“Your dad’s trying to get to you?” Daniel asked, eyebrows drawn together. “Hey I- I have no idea what’s going on with your dad, but we can help you, alright? You just have to stay alive. That’s all I’m asking. You like giving out favors right? Well I’m asking you for one right now. Just keep your eyes open, alright man? If you do that, we can have a talk about your dad, and we- all of us- we can help you. Okay?” The sound of sirens finally reached them, quickly coming closer and closer, and within a few seconds of being aware of their sound, Lucifer saw flashing lights from the corner of his eye. “See, just a little bit longer.”

 

A pause. “What’s with...your sudden concern for my well-being, Daniel?” Lucifer asked, voice strained as another painful fit of coughs racked his body, and his fingers instinctively dug into Daniel’s hand on his stomach. When the coughing subsided, his arm fell back to his side limply, and without thinking he mumbled, “Can’t wait to tell...Chloe that we-” he coughed again, and his vision began to darken. “-held hands,” he made sure to finish before he surrendered to the darkness.

 

Maybe his father was taking his control right at this very moment. Maybe that was the last joke he would ever make. If only he came to that realization sooner, he could have made a significantly better one.

 

As he let the darkness consume him, he finally gave in to everything. His exhaustion, and his father. If this really was it, then there was no use fighting it. And funny enough, he always knew that. But thanks to his father’s very own design, he was too stubborn to admit it before. But now, he was done fighting.

 

It seemed there was nothing left to fight for anyways.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Trixie decide to stay with Lucifer overnight. Marcus arrives, and isn't pleased by that arrangement.

“Is Lucifer dying?” Was the first thing Trixie asked when they stepped into the small room, her voice barely above a whisper as she peered at the man resting on the hospital bed, big brown eyes taking in all of the wires and tubes connected to him. 

 

As much as Chloe wanted to flat out deny it, she couldn’t bring herself to respond. Lucifer’s skin was deathly pale, his eyes sunken in with shadows that wrapped around his face, making him look impossibly thinner. His hair was wet with sweat, and it curled and stuck up in a way that he would never allow if he were conscious. It might have been an endearing sight if it weren’t for the life or death situation he was in. “He’s alive right now,” was the best she could answer, reaching down to take her daughter’s hand as she crossed to the other side of the room to where the bed was.

 

She wanted to cry at the state her partner was in. The way Lucifer held himself, the delusion of being the Devil always holding strong, he made it easy to believe that he was invincible sometimes. There was the occasional moment when a crook got the drop on him and he suffered from minor injuries, but he was always prancing around as though death was beneath him. He always seemed so unmovable, like a mountain. And it shook Chloe to the very core to see that mountain finally crumble. 

 

Dan had called her the second the ambulance took Lucifer, and told her the situation while he himself followed behind  them to the hospital. Her partner was hit by a  _ truck _ . He suffered from many broken bones, including broken ribs that managed to puncture a lung, which explained why he was coughing up blood when Dan had found him. He was choking on blood just as the ambulance came, and he stopped breathing, forcing them to use CPR and causing further damage to his already fragile ribcage. There was also the obvious head injury, which was what the doctors were mostly worried about. Until he woke up, it would be impossible to tell if there was any lasting damage. All they could do was cross their fingers and hope for the best, they said.

 

The only thing keeping Lucifer from slipping off into the afterlife was the handful of machines he was connected to. An oxygen mask, IV, morphine drip, a tube connected to his chest to inflate his damaged lung… Everyone was saying he was most likely in the clear after the surgery went smoothly, but Chloe was still terrified. How could she not be? Her best friend was laying deadly still only inches away from her, looking very much that he could be on his deathbed.

 

Even if he was on the road to recovery now, the thought that Lucifer could have died was still terrifying. Getting hit by a car was bad enough, but a pick-up truck going ten miles over the speed limit? Lucifer was lucky that he didn’t die on impact. And that was what scared her the most; her partner could have very easily been taken away from her, and her last words to him would have been…

 

She swallowed, thinking about the way she snapped at him. She remembered the disheveled state he was in, his wild and frantic eyes as he rambled about Pierce being Cain, the way he desperately tried to hide the trembling of his shoulders as Chloe just about yelled at him about how happy she was. There was something obviously wrong with him, almost eerily similar to the day he dared the sniper to shoot him. He was obviously struggling through something, but Chloe didn’t want to hear it. All the talk about wings grated her nerves, and his claims of being the angel who was going around saving random people made her completely disregard it all, thinking it was another delusion of his, unimportant to her or the case. And bringing Marcus into it only managed to piss her off, and she sent him off without even wondering what was  _ really _ wrong with him. Lucifer liked to speak in metaphors, she could have at least tried to piece together what was really going on. But she didn’t even bother. She sent away her suffering friend, and that could have been the last time she would have ever seen him, and she wouldn’t have been able to take any of it back. 

 

“Hey.” Dan suddenly appeared in the doorway, his eyes briefly swivelling over to the prone figure on the bed, then his face scrunched up and he tore his gaze away, meeting Chloe’s eyes instead. “Pierce is here. He just called me to let me know.” He cleared his throat. “Want me to take Trixie with me?”

 

Before the obvious ‘yes’ could even form in her throat, Trixie shook her head and grasped Lucifer’s hand, scowling stubbornly. “I wanna stay with Lucifer.”

 

In the back of Chloe’s mind, she recalled the many moments where Lucifer would have wrenched his arm away from Trixie, looking almost panicked as he tried to find any way to pacify the child without having to physically touch her. But lately, he seemed to be more tolerant of Trixie’s random bursts of affection for him. And thinking of their growing relationship twisted something in Chloe’s stomach. “Monkey-”

 

“He’s my friend too!” Trixie declared, her eyes filling to the brim with tears. “Please, mommy? I promise I’ll be good. Pinky promise.”

 

Usually, Chloe didn’t let begging or puppy eyes affect her decisions when it came to Trixie, but this time she found herself wavering. This wasn’t like the times when Trixie wanted a new toy, or wanted to spend the night at a friend’s house on a school night. This was different, way more important. She could make an exception in this case. “Okay, baby,” she said softly, then looked up at Dan. “As long as your daddy’s okay with it too.” 

 

And with that, the kicked puppy look was sent to Dan, who already folded like a chair the second Trixie said ‘please.’ “That’s fine. We’ll have to call her out of school tomorrow,” was his only complaint, and Chloe nodded in agreement. Trixie would likely stay up way too late to be able to handle her schoolwork. As long as it didn’t become a trend, one day away from class should be okay. 

 

“Espinoza,” someone said from behind Dan, who looked over his shoulder before completely entering the room, allowing Marcus entry. The man’s eyes immediately fell on Chloe, all the concern in the world showing in his expression. He didn’t even give Lucifer a second glance as he made his way to her, gently grabbing her forearms. “You okay?”

 

Chloe smiled softly, feeling a rush of affection for the man. He didn’t have to come here, just to support her. “I’m fine,” she whispered, then glanced at Lucifer. The sight of him sent another jolt of grief through her, and she quickly looked away again. “He was hit by a truck, Marcus.” She wasn’t afraid of saying that aloud with Trixie there; she already briefed her on the situation on the drive there just so she wouldn’t be too shocked by his condition. 

 

“I know, Espinoza told me,” Marcus said carefully, finally looking at Lucifer. His eyes scanned the man’s form, narrowing slightly. No concern showed in his expression as he took in all the wires and the corpse-like appearance of his civilian consultant, but when he returned his gaze to Chloe, it was full of warmth and empathy. “C’mon Chloe, let’s get you and Trixie home.”

 

The suggestion caught her off guard, and for a moment she could only gape. “Home?” she repeated dumbly, shaking her head. What kind of suggestion was that? Surely he didn’t think she could leave at a time like this? “I’m not leaving, Marcus. I’m going to be here for Lucifer when he wakes up.”

 

It was Marcus’ turn to look confused. “He’s in really bad shape, Chloe, I doubt he’s going to wake up tonight. Besides, you being here probably-” He stopped, the next words on the tip of his tongue, but he seemingly decided against them, clearing his throat. “He probably won’t wake up until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.”

 

“And I’ll be here when he wakes up,” Chloe repeated stubbornly, wondering about what he stopped himself from saying. Her being there was doing what? Why was it so bad that she was trying to be there for her friend?

 

Now Marcus looked oddly annoyed. “But, you have work tomorrow,” he argued, a sharp edge to his tone.

 

“Work? Seriously, that’s what you’re concerned about?” She snapped, tearing her arms away from him. A flicker of regret flashed through his eyes, and his frustration seemed to grow in intensity. “I’m taking a leave until Lucifer’s released from the hospital,” she told him with the best tone of finality she could muster, one that she has perfected over the years of being a mother.

 

“Come on Chloe, this is Lucifer,” Marcus said, tone all barbs and lacking all the warmth he had shown earlier. Chloe was startled by the vast difference in the compassionate man that was in front of her a second ago, and the stoic face in front of her now. “He’ll be back on his feet and bothering us again in no time. You’re worried over nothing.”

 

“Nothing?!” Chloe echoed, voice raising. She saw Dan come closer to them and jerked her arm away from him before he could pull her away and save Marcus from her wrath. “Dan told you everything, didn’t he? Lucifer hasn’t been sleeping for days, he says his Dad’s in town and is out to get him, and from what the truck driver and witnesses said, Lucifer  _ purposely _ jumped in front of him! He was trying to  _ die _ because of what I said to him!” She poked a finger to his chest, and he blinked rapidly in surprise.  She heard Trixie gasp, surprised by the news, and saw Dan change his course and go to her instead to comfort her. Chloe felt a pang of regret, she was purposely leaving that out of the explanation she gave Trixie. But she continued on stubbornly, refusing to stop talking until she got her point across to Marcus.  “I’m not leaving him until he knows that I’m sorry, and that I don’t want him to die!” 

  
  


Instead of looking sorry, Marcus snorted at her explosion. “The Devil definitely didn’t try to commit suicide.” A sudden tension filled the room at his casual statement, and a few seconds too late, his eyes finally widened when he realized what he said. He definitely regretted what he said, but as far as Chloe could tell, it wasn’t because he didn’t mean it. He only regretted it because it was the wrong thing to say in the moment. “Wait, that’s not-”

 

Chloe rose her hand, stopping him in his tracks. “No.” The Devil. Marcus really just called her partner the Devil. It was different when Lucifer referred to himself as such, but to hear such an insult come out of her  _ boyfriend’s _ mouth? Lucifer was delusional, clung onto the Devil persona to deal with his childhood trauma, and Marcus was brandishing that delusion like a weapon, to hurt him. It wasn’t right, and Chloe never imagined anyone would ever fall so low. “Don’t  _ ever  _ call him that again,” she hissed, and pointed to the door. “Get out.”

 

“Chloe-”

 

She shook her head at his attempt to soothe her, not having any of it. “No, get out.” She wove her hand, still directing him to the exit. “I’m not coming in to work until Lucifer’s been cleared. And us?” She gestured between herself and him, mouth in a thin line. “We’re on a break.”

 

Her words were met with an expression of cold fury. “You’re breaking up with me over  _ him _ ?” As if that was the biggest insult that he’s heard in his life, or that Lucifer was just an inconvenience to him. Like it didn’t matter that the man was currently caught in a terrifying state in between life and death. He was acting like Lucifer purposely threw himself into traffic just to spite Marcus personally. 

 

“I said we’re on break,” Chloe repeated cooly, raising her chin defiantly. ‘But maybe we should break up, if this is the kind of person you really are.” Before Marcus could speak again, she continued on. “ It’s not about Lucifer, it’s how much of an inconsiderate jerk you’re being. If this is how you’re going to act when your coworker tries to commit suicide-”

 

“I told you, I seriously doubt this is a suicide attempt.” The way he said it left almost no room for argument. It sounded almost like: what I say is law and this is the end of the conversation. 

 

Chloe fought hard to keep her temper under control; she saw Dan cautiously look between them, obviously trying to decide if he should intervene or not. She needed to get her point across and get Marcus out, now, before she blew a fuse right in front of Trixie, and possibly get herself get kicked out of the hospital. “You don’t get to say if Lucifer is suicidal or not,” she said shortly. “And even if it was a coincidence, just an accident, I want to be here when he wakes up. Because he’s my friend, I care about him, and when you care about someone, you’re there for them.” She struggled against the lump forming in her throat. “And you obviously don’t know what it means to care about someone or you wouldn’t be doing this to me right now. So I’m telling you to leave. Now.”

 

Pierce opened his mouth but quickly shut it when words wouldn’t come to him, his expression stone. His gaze eventually shifted from hers, drifting over to the bed where Lucifer laid. For a moment, an icy pit of fear appeared in her stomach; she could easily imagine Pierce taking his frustrations out on her helpless partner. And for a second, it looked like he would, if his fists clenching and raising up to his chest was any indication. But Dan gently pushed Trixie away from himself and placed himself in front of Pierce, shaking his head. “Don’t do it, man.”

 

The tension in the room only began to ebb away when Pierce took in a strained breath and finally put his fist down, turning away from them. Without a word the man stormed out of the room, practically barrelling through one of the nurses that was walking past.

 

There was a long moment of silence after his departure. Finally, Trixie spoke up, “Mommy, I don’t like your boyfriend,” she said, voice shaking. Chloe swallowed thickly and pulled her little girl towards her, holding her in a tight hug as her anger washed away from her, leaving her feeling almost numb. Pierce really wasn’t the man she thought he was, Lucifer was right on that aspect. Another thing she should have listened to him about.

 

She felt her heart breaking, but she tried her best to keep her mind off of the pain. Pierce did make her happy, and she might even say that she was starting to fall in love with him. He kept his distance with the world, but he was starting to let her in past his walls. She got to see his caring, loving, and compassionate side. She thought she saw the real him, the one no one else could see. But no, that was just another layer in the mask he wore. If all of this had just been about her staying in the hospital, she could have worked something out with him. That would be an argument she wouldn’t mind working past. But calling Lucifer the Devil, playing into his delusion to try to hurt him? And that murderous look of contempt in his eyes just now when he looked at Lucifer, acting as though he was completely willing to punch the man while he was already in enough pain? No. She can’t let that go off the hook. That wasn’t right, no matter how frustrated he was with her. It was one thing to be mad at her, but the way he was treating Lucifer just wasn’t okay with her.

 

“I don’t like him either,” Dan breathed, a line of sweat coming from his hairline. He looked just as shaken up as Chloe felt. “I mean, Lucifer and I never got along but… wow.” 

 

“Lucifer didn’t like him, too,” Chloe said quietly, and behind her eyes she saw a glimpse of the man’s desperate eyes as he attempted to tell her that Pierce was a bad man, and how she brushed it off as another part of his delusion. Her guilt only seemed to grow more and more tonight. “I guess he’ll be happy to hear we broke up,” she said numbly. Dan made a noise of sympathy and gently took her arm, steering her over to the chair next to Lucifer’s bed. She all but collapsed into it, the events of the day wearing at her mental state all at once.

 

“I’ll go ask for another chair,” Dan said as he stepped away, motioning for Trixie to stay with her mother. “I’ll stay with you tonight.”

 

“You don’t have to-” Chloe began weakly, but Dan shook his head.

 

“I want to. I mean, Lucifer can be a real pain in the ass but-” He scratched his head, looking uncomfortable. “I think we’re on pretty good grounds right now. And…” He swallowed, expression pained. “After finding him like that, I feel like I need to be here.”

 

Finding him like that. Chloe pictured what Dan must have seen when he discovered Lucifer. He only told her the most necessary details for the most part, but he did slip up from time to time during his explanation.  _ “God, there was so much blood…”  _ She briefly pictured Lucifer somehow being in a worse state than he was in now, and cringed, the image of blood soaking his expensive suit and his usually warm eyes turning lifeless immediately coming to her mind. And after that, she decided not to imagine anything else.

 

“Okay,” she responded, voice gentle. Dan gave her a fleeting, strained smile before leaving the room, leaving her and Trixie alone.

 

She took a moment to look over her daughter, who was obviously shaken by the events that just transpired. There were fresh tear tracks on her cheeks and her bottom lip trembled. She had returned to her earlier position of gripping Lucifer’s hand, staring down at the mattress, clearly devastated. “Monkey?” Chloe prompted, worried. If all of this was almost too much for her to handle, she couldn’t imagine how Trixie might be feeling.

 

“Did Lucifer really jump in front of the truck?” Trixie whispered, voice shaky. Chloe mentally cursed at herself for saying that while her daughter was still in the room. She was too young to be dealing with someone in her life attempting suicide. That was too emotionally damaging for most grown adults to handle.

 

But she already made the mistake, and there was no taking back her words. Trixie was too smart to fall for any lie she could come up with. “He did,” Chloe said softly, gently pulling her away from Lucifer. Trixie released her death grip on the man’s hand and allowed herself to be pulled onto her mother’s lap. Chloe quickly wiped away the tears on Trixie’s cheeks, trying to keep her voice low and soothing. “Sometimes people get really sad, and they feel like there’s no reason to live anymore.”

 

That seemed to make Trixie even more upset. “But why was he so sad?” She asked with a small sob, hiding her face in her mother’s shoulder as her body began to shake. “How do we make him happy?”

 

“We have to make sure he knows that we care about him, and that we would miss him if he left us,” Chloe explained. “That’s why I’m not leaving until he’s okay to go home. He’ll see that I really care about him, and it might help.”

 

“Oh…” Trixie went quiet for a moment, lost in thought as she processed the new information, and likely coming up with other ways to let Lucifer know she cared. All of a sudden, she gasped, sitting straight up. “His brother! He should be here. Lucifer needs to know he cares too!”

 

Oh, Amenadiel. Chloe had completely forgotten about him! He probably didn’t even know that his brother was in the hospital! “You’re right, we need to call his brother,” she agreed, reaching into her pocket for her phone. She didn’t exactly have Amenadiel’s number, but she did have Maze’s, and she knew that Maze  _ had _ to know how to contact him. And this way, she would be killing two birds with one stone, because she didn’t actually tell Maze the bad news either.

 

As she opened her phone, Trixie hummed in thought. “You should tell Lucifer’s Mommy and Daddy too.” 

 

Chloe paused just as she began to scroll through her phone for Maze’s number. What would happen if Lucifer’s parents showed up? She knew his father was a nasty piece of work from what little she’s heard of him, and that Lucifer didn’t have the best relationship with his mother either. But since he came so close to death, maybe at least one of them would come to visit? Chloe wasn’t sure how she felt about it. From what Dan said, Lucifer was afraid his father was coming after him. To do what to him, neither of them knew, but the fact that it terrified  _ Lucifer _ of all people said enough. So it would probably be better if his dad stayed away, but she wasn’t sure where his mom stood in all of this. “Maybe Amenadiel can ask them to come.” She stopped as she found Charlotte Richard’s contact stored in her phone. Well, she could definitely tell Lucifer’s step-mom what was going on, if Dan hasn’t already. She made a mental note to ask Dan when he returned.

 

She then located Maze’s contact and pressed the call button. It rang a few times before Maze’s familiar voice answered,  _ “What?” _ without greeting. 

 

Well, hello to you too, Chloe silently said. “Maze, Lucifer’s in the hospital,” she said bluntly, not knowing how to casually bring up the matter. And she knew Maze preferred getting straight to the point anyways; in most of their conversations, they always skipped the pleasantries. 

 

_ “Why do I care if he’s knocking up some nurse- unless he’s inviting me?” _ She asked in a hungry tone, and Chloe could almost picture her licking her lips sensually.  _ “If she’s hot enough, maybe I can pretend I don’t hate his guts.” _

 

“Maze, Lucifer is really hurt.” She blinked, finally registering that last sentence. Were Maze and Lucifer fighting? Did that have something to do with why he threw himself into traffic? “He jumped in front of a moving truck and almost died. He went through surgery and the doctors are saying he should be on the mend, but he’s still out cold.”

 

To Chloe’s surprise and irritation, Maze busted out laughing. _ “Good one, Decker,” _ she chortled, sighing happily. _ “Is today like one of those April Fools things? Wish I knew that earlier, I-” _

 

“I’m not joking,” Chloe cut in sharply, and Maze went completely silent. “Maze, Lucifer tried to- he wanted to die. And now he’s in the hospital and I think it would be nice if he had all of his friends’ support.”

 

_ “I doubt he was trying to kill himself, Decker,” _ Maze scoffed, but despite that, she sounded unsure. And almost...guilty? Chloe barely registered it, too focused on the ‘I doubt it,’ that sounded too similar to what Marcus said earlier, and she couldn’t help but feel even more irritated. Why was everyone so convinced that Lucifer didn’t have emotions? 

 

“Everyone Dan spoke to says they saw Lucifer throw himself in front of the truck, it wasn’t an accident.” There was no response from the other side of the line for a minute, and Chloe sighed, trying not to lose her patience. She knew it was a lot to take in, and since Maze was Lucifer’s oldest friend, she must have been really struggling with the news. Especially if they really had been fighting recently. Chloe could definitely sympathize, still trying to get a grip on her own guilt. "Look, I’ll send you the address to the hospital he’s in. Can you do me a favor and call Amenadiel and tell him the news too? I don’t have his number.”

 

_ “...Yeah, got it,” _ Maze said shortly, and all of a sudden the line went dead.

 

Usually, Chloe would have felt offended, but she knew that was just how Maze was. She didn’t drag out a conversation longer than absolutely necessary, and she definitely didn’t let herself get wrapped up in  _ emotions _ .

 

Storing her phone back in her pocket, she returned to holding her daughter close to her, staring into the face of the man on the bed. “You can sleep, monkey. If he wakes up, I’ll let you know.”

 

She almost expected her to argue again, but to her surprise, Trixie took the suggestion without question. “Okay, mommy.” She opened her mouth widely with a yawn, her eyes almost immediately fluttering closed. “I talked to Lucifer’s Daddy while you were on the phone. I hope He helps him.”

 

“You talked to- What?” Chloe blinked, not keeping up. What was Trixie talking about?

 

“I prayed to Him, mommy,” her daughter responded like she was stating the obvious. “He didn’t say anything, but maybe He’ll still help.” She yawned again, and curled up as much as she could on Chloe’s lap. “Goodnight, I love you.”

 

“I love you too, baby,” Chloe said dumbly, still not over the ‘praying to Lucifer’s dad’ thing. After all of this was over, she needed to have a serious talk to Trixie about not buying into Lucifer’s delusions, or it would somehow come back to bite her later. She knew Lucifer never let go of his Devil-persona no matter what the situation was, and she should have guessed that Trixie would have believed him. It would be hard to explain that Lucifer had some mental issues and that his version of reality wasn’t like theirs. Because Lucifer wasn’t crazy, not exactly. But he definitely wasn’t perfectly mentally sound. If he was, they wouldn’t be in the hospital right now.

 

As Trixie started to snore, Chloe explored that train of thought a little more. She had ignored Lucifer’s delusion for far too long. She said she only needed his eggs, but if his delusions were getting worse, and his mental issues were bringing him to suicidal tendencies, then he needed to get help. And as great as Linda was, he probably needed something more than regular therapy. She needed to talk to him about it, and if she had to  _ beg _ him to get help, she might. She didn’t want to end up by his bedside in the hospital ever again if she could help it. 

 

On the list of things she definitely needed to bring up to Lucifer was the topic of his father. Because she still hasn’t forgotten that he told Dan that his father was coming after him for some reason. If they needed to put him under police protection, they would. But they also needed to know his real identity. She understood that Lucifer was fond of his fake name and she would make sure his real one wouldn’t be leaked out if it meant so much to him, but it was important that she finally knew the truth, or she wouldn’t be able to help him. And dammit, she really wanted to help him. She couldn’t just turn her back on him in a time like this. 

 

Hopefully, Lucifer would finally open up to her. Or else she wouldn’t have a choice.

 

“Yeah, I’ll be here,” Dan was saying as he entered the room, a folded up chair under one of his armpits and a cellphone pressed against his ear. “Don’t worry, he’s stable. No, Chloe won’t mind. But the docs might not want everyone in here at once…” He paused, listening to what the other person was saying, and shook his head even though he couldn’t be seen. “Really, it’s fine. I’ll see you in a bit.” With that, he pocketed his phone and carried his chair next to Chloe’s, unfolding it and plopping himself down.

 

“Who was that?” She asked, curious.

 

“Charlotte,” the name was spoken softly, and his face flushed a little. Like even mentioning the woman he was in a relationship with was enough to get him flustered and giddy. “You called Maze?” Chloe blinked and nodded in confirmation. Dan sighed. “Well, Maze told Amenadiel, and I guess he was with Charlotte. She called me to yell in my ear for a few minutes for not telling her, then she apologized and said she’s on her way here with Amenadiel.” He paused. “Hope that’s okay.”

 

“No, that’s great. I had Maze tell Amenadiel for a reason.” She winced as she wondered how Charlotte and Amenadiel must be feeling. Charlotte and Lucifer seemed exceptionally close, as far as Chloe could tell, and while he didn’t seem to get along with his brother nearly as well, she could tell they still cared about each other. Deep, deep down. Chloe couldn’t imagine how she would feel if she ever got a call that Trixie was hit by a truck and was sent to the hospital. Her heart really went out to the other mother.

 

“Charlotte was crying,” Dan revealed, troubled. Instead of looking at her, he was gazing down at his hands, twisting his fingers without rhyme or reason, deep in thought. “...She doesn’t even know it was a suicide attempt. Maze left that out when she told Amenadiel, and I just- I didn’t have the heart to tell her. How do I tell her that her  _ kid _ …” He glanced at Trixie, and Chloe knew his thoughts were similar to her in that moment, feeling sympathetic as another parent. “God, this is so messed up.”

 

If that wasn’t the best summary of tonight’s events, Chloe didn’t know what was.

 


End file.
